It has come to that time of the year once again, when the lovely ladies of the Fairview goat herd start getting cranky and craving garlic flavoured ice-cream and lucerne infused ice blocks. Well maybe not quite. But yes, it is the kidding season and in the coming months the pastures will soon be full of frolicking baby goats.

We have just under 750 does (female goats) in our milking herd, and they provide milk to our Vineyard Cheesery each day. However during the kidding season, our does get a bit of a rest. Producing milk requires energy and nutrients, which is why our herd’s diet is so important. When the does are pregnant, it’s important that all of their energy and the nutrients from their food goes towards their growing kids. What this means for our goats’ milk cheese fans, is that you may find our Chevins a little difficult to find for a month or two. But this small sacrifice allows us to make sure that our Fairview goat herd is healthy and strong.

Award winning Chevin with Garlic & Herbs

Goats have a five month gestation period and we do our best to stagger the kidding to reduce the impact of the goats’ milk shortage. Most of the kids will be born in August, September and October, just as spring starts to creep into the winelands. We’ll keep you up to date on the goats progress on this blog and via our Facebook page.